There are many theories bandied about on the web about why we wear green on St. Patrick’s Day. Some of these theories revolve around green being a part of the Irish Flag, Ireland being a green country and the honoring of an old Irish custom of spreading ashes on the fields to make the land richer. Sadly, there is a darker truth to the reason we celebrate St. Patrick’s Day by wearing green.

The light is different now, so I feel we’ve turned a corner on blizzards and icy roads. Winter is a season we take seriously in the Midwest. Wind chill is included when talking about temperature: Fifteen degrees, but feels like minus three with the wind chill factor . . .

Girl Scout week is upon us, and no one has even knocked on my door to sell me Samoas or Tagalongs or Thin Mints. How can this be? In years past I bought at my office from moms and dads doing their daughters’ bidding, from my friends’ children and even from the adorable scouts who used to set up in front of the local supermarket.

The exact origins of the name “Easter” are unclear, but Christians throughout the world celebrate the holiday. It is the most important holiday on the Christian calendar, though it has no set date. Easter is celebrated on the first Sunday after the full moon that follows the spring equinox for those Christians who are in the Western part of the world. Eastern Orthodox Christians celebrate Easter a week or two after their Western counterparts. Lent, a 40-day period of fasting and reflection mirroring Christ’s forty days of temptation in the desert immediately precedes Easter.